Handle device which is attachable to a toilet seat

ABSTRACT

A handle device which is attachable to the seat of a toilet includes a base portion having two opposite sides and an amount of adhesive spread over a section of one side of the base portion permitting the base portion to be adhesively secured to the underside of a toilet seat. When the base portion is adhesively attached to the underside of a toilet seat so that a remainder section of the base portion extends to one side of the toilet seat, the remainder section can be grasped for raising and lowering the toilet seat without requiring that the toilet seat be touched. The remainder section can be U-shaped in form so that the U of the U-shaped form accepts the tips of a user&#39;s fingers when grasped for raising and lowering the toilet seat.

The benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/921,129, filed Mar.30, 2007 and entitled TOILET SEAT HANDLE DEVICE, is hereby claimed. Thedisclosure of this referenced provisional application is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is concerned with means by which a toilet seat can beraised or lowered in a sanitary fashion.

In order to permit a user of a toilet to raise or lower the seat of atoilet without touching the seat, it would be desirable to provide adevice which can be secured to the toilet seat by the user and whichprovides a grip enabling the user to raise or lower the seat withouttouching the seat.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved device by which a toilet seat can be raised or loweredwithout requiring that the toilet seat be touched by the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a devicewhich can be readily attached to a toilet seat by a user and whichprovides a handle which can be grasped by the user for raising orlowering the toilet seat.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide such adevice which is small or compact enough to be conveniently carried inthe pocket of a user until needed.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a devicewhich is uncomplicated in construction, yet effective in operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention resides in a handle device which is attachable to theseat of a toilet wherein the seat has an underside.

The handle device includes a base portion having two opposite sides andan amount of adhesive spread over a section of one side of the baseportion. The adhesive permits the base portion to be adhesively attachedto the underside of a toilet seat so that when the base portion isadhesively attached to the underside of a toilet seat so that aremainder section of the base portion extends to one side of the toiletseat, the remainder section can be grasped for raising and lowering thetoilet seat without requiring that the toilet seat be touched.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a handle device withinwhich features of the present invention are embodied.

FIG. 2 is a view of a toilet whose seat can be raised or lowered withthe FIG. 1 device, shown before attachment of the FIG. 1 device to theseat.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, as seen generally from the front in FIG.2, of the toilet seat and handle device, following attachment to oneanother.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the handledevice within which features of the invention are embodied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to the drawings in greater detail and considering first FIG.1, there is illustrated an embodiment, generally indicated 20, of ahandle device within which features of the present invention areembodied. The handle device 20 includes a two-sided base portion 22comprised of an attachment section 24 and a remainder section 26. Eachof the attachment section 24 and the remainder section 26 is constructedof a relatively stiff material, such as a relatively rigid plasticmaterial (e.g. polyvinylchloride) or a heavy paper stock; and thesections 24 and 26 are preferably joined together as a unitary structurewhich has been formed in a mold as a one-piece item.

The attachment section 24 bears an amount of adhesive 30 which is spreadover a portion of one side thereof. As will be apparent herein, theadhesive 30 permits the attachment section 24, and hence the entiredevice 20, to be adhesively attached to the underside of a toilet seat32 (FIG. 2). Preferably, the adhesive 30 is covered with a piece 34(FIG. 1) of release paper which can be readily peeled from the adhesive30 for attachment of the device 20 to a toilet seat 32.

Furthermore and in the depicted embodiment 20, the adhesive 30 can beborne by one side surface of a thin layer of foam material 31 which, inturn, is adhesively secured to the attachment 24. In this instance,therefore, the adhesive 30 is provided by the adhesive borne on the sidesurface of the layer of foam material 31 opposite the attachment section24.

The remainder section 26 of the device 20 bears an arcuate outer edge 36which is positioned outboard of the toilet seat to which the device 20is connected, and if desired and as depicted in FIG. 3, can be formed toprovide a shape having a U-shaped cross section. In the depicted device20, the U-shaped form of the remainder section 26 opens generallydownwardly when the device 20 is secured to a toilet seat and is sizedso that the U of its U-shape accepts the tips of a user's fingersinserted therein for purposes of raising or lowering the toilet seat byway of the device 20. Furthermore, the outer edge 36 of the remaindersection 26 is disposed in such a relation to the attachment section 24that when the device 20 is operatively secured to the underside of atoilet seat 32 (as depicted in FIG. 3), the outer edge 36 is higher thanthe underside of the toilet seat 32.

With reference again to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a toilet 40 havinga seat 32 of the type to which the device 20 is capable of beingattached to thereby enable a user to raise or lower the seat 32 withoutrequiring that the user touch the seat 32. In this connection, thetoilet 40 has a bowl section 42 defining an upper rim 44, and the seat32 has a plurality of feet 46 (only one shown in FIG. 2) which normallymaintains the underside, indicated 48, of the seat 32 in a spacedrelationship with the upper rim 44.

To use the device 20 with the toilet seat 32 when the seat is in alowered portion, the release paper piece 34 is peeled from theattachment section 24 to expose the adhesive 30, and then the attachmentsection 24 is inserted edgewise between the spacing provided between theupper rim 44 and the underside 48 of the seat 32 so that theadhesive-borne side of the attachment section 24 faces upwardly. Whenthe attachment section 24 is positioned within such a spacing so thatthe remainder section 26 extends to one side of (e.g. extends away fromthe outside edge of) the toilet seat 32, the attachment section 24 isthen gently raised so that the adhesive 30 contacts and becomes adheredto the underside of the seat 32. If necessary, the user can pressagainst the side of the attachment section 24 opposite theadhesive-borne side thereof with his fingers to enhance the contactbetween the adhesive 30 and the underside of the toilet 32.

With the attachment section 24 adhesively attached to the underside ofthe toilet seat 32, the reminder section 26 can be grasped with theuser's fingers to raise and subsequently lower the seat 32. Hence, theremainder section 26 acts a grip capable of being grasped by the hand ofthe user.

It follows that a handle device 20 has been described which can bereadily attached to a toilet seat which enables the user to raise andlower the seat without requiring that the user touch the seat 32.Accordingly, the device 20 facilitates the sanitary use of a toilet andis advantageous in this respect.

It will be understood that numerous modifications and substitutions canbe had to the aforedescribed embodiment without departing from thespirit of the invention. For example, there is illustrated in FIG. 4 analternative embodiment, generally indicated 120, of a handle devicehaving a two-sided, platen-like base portion 122 comprised of anattachment section 124 and a remainder section 126. Each of theattachment section 124 and the remainder section 126 is constructed of arelatively stiff material, such as a heavy paper stock; and the sections124 and 126 are preferably joined together with a living hinge 128 whichpermits the remainder section 126 to be readily bent or folded relativeto the attachment section 124.

Again, the attachment section 124 bears an amount of adhesive 130 whichis spread over a portion of one side thereof and which permits theattachment section 124, and hence the entire device 120, to beadhesively attached to the underside of a toilet seat. Preferably, theadhesive 130 is covered with a piece 134 of release paper which can bereadily peeled from the adhesive 130 for attachment of the device 120 toa toilet seat.

It can be seen in FIG. 4 that the remainder section 126 can be providedwith an arcuate outer edge 136 and formed to resemble the shape of acommon handle (e.g. a briefcase handle) to enhance the visual estheticsof the device 120. It will be understood, however, that the remaindersection 126 can possess any of a number of alternative shapes.Accordingly, the aforedescribed embodiments are intended for the purposeof illustration and not as limitation.

1. A handle device which is attachable to the seat of a toilet whereinthe seat has an underside, the handle device comprising: a base portionhaving two opposite sides and an amount of adhesive spread over asection of one side of the base portion for adhesively attaching thebase portion to the underside of a toilet seat so that when the baseportion is adhesively attached to the underside of a toilet seat so thata remainder section of the base portion extends to one side of thetoilet seat, the remainder section can be grasped for raising andlowering the toilet seat without requiring that the toilet seat betouched.
 2. The handle device as defined in claim 1 wherein theremainder section of the base portion is U-shaped in form and isarranged so that when the device is adhesively secured to the undersideof a toilet seat and the toilet seat is in a lowered condition, theU-shape of the U-shaped form of the remainder section opens downwardly.3. The handle device as defined in claim 1 wherein the remainder sectionof the base portion is U-shaped in form so that the U of the U-shapedform accepts the tips of the user's fingers when grasped for raising andlowering the toilet seat.
 4. The handle device as defined in claim 1wherein the U-shaped form has an outer edge which is disposed outboardof the toilet seat and is arranged in such a relation to the toilet seatso that when the device is adhesively secured to the underside of atoilet seat and the toilet seat is in a lowered condition, the outeredge is higher than the underside of the toilet seat.
 5. The handledevice as defined in claim 1 wherein the length of the remainder sectionis at least about 2.0 inches in length.
 6. The handle device as definedin claim 1 wherein the base portion is constructed of a relatively stiffmaterial.
 7. The handle device as defined in claim 6 wherein the baseportion is constructed of a relatively hard plastic material.
 8. Thehandle device as defined in claim 1 in combination with a sheet ofrelease paper for releasably covering the amount of adhesive untilremoved for attachment to the underside of a toilet seat.
 9. A handledevice which is attachable to the seat of a toilet wherein the seat hasan underside, the handle device comprising: a base portion having twoopposite sides and an attachment section and a remainder section whichare joined together; and an amount of adhesive spread over one side ofthe attachment section of the base portion for adhesively attaching thebase portion to the underside of a toilet seat so that when the baseportion is adhesively attached to the underside of a toilet seat and theremainder section of the base portion extends to one side of the toiletseat, the remainder section can be grasped for raising and lowering thetoilet seat without requiring that the toilet seat be touched.
 10. Thehandle device as defined in claim 9 wherein the remainder section of thebase portion is U-shaped in form and is arranged so that when the deviceis adhesively secured to the underside of a toilet seat and the toiletseat is in a lowered condition, the U-shape of the U-shaped form of theremainder section opens downwardly.
 11. The handle device as defined inclaim 9 wherein the remainder section of the base portion is U-shaped inform so that the U of the U-shaped form accepts the tips of the user'sfingers when grasped for raising and lowering the toilet seat.
 12. Thehandle device as defined in claim 9 wherein the U-shaped form has anouter edge which is disposed outboard of the toilet seat and is arrangedin such a relation to the toilet seat so that when the device isadhesively secured to the underside of a toilet seat and the toilet seatis in a lowered condition, the outer edge is higher than the undersideof the toilet seat.
 13. The handle device as defined in claim 12 whereinthe remainder section of the base portion disposed between the outeredge and the attachment portion is U-shaped in form so that the U of theU-shaped form accepts the tips of the user's fingers when grasped forraising and lowering the toilet seat.
 14. The handle device as definedin claim 8 wherein the length of the remainder section is at least about2.0 inches in length.
 15. The handle device as defined in claim 8wherein the base portion is constructed of a relatively stiff material.16. The handle device as defined in claim 15 wherein the base portion isconstructed of a relatively hard plastic material.
 17. The handle deviceas defined in claim 8 further comprising a thin layer of foam materialwhich is adhesively secured to the one side of the attachment sectionand includes a layer of adhesive on the side of the thin layer oppositethe one side which provides said amount of the adhesive for adhesivelyattaching the base portion to the underside of a toilet seat.
 18. Thehandle device as defined in claim 8 in combination with a sheet ofrelease paper for releasably covering the amount of adhesive untilremoved for attachment to the underside of a toilet seat.
 19. A handledevice which is attachable to the seat of a toilet wherein the seat hasan underside, the handle device comprising: a base portion having twoopposite sides and an attachment section and a remainder section whichare joined together, the remainder section having a U-shaped form and anouter edge which are disposed outboard of the toilet seat when thedevice is attached thereto; and an amount of adhesive spread over oneside of the attachment section of the base portion for adhesivelyattaching the base portion to the underside of a toilet seat so thatwhen the base portion is adhesively attached to the underside of atoilet seat and the remainder section of the base portion extends to oneside of the toilet seat, the U-shaped form of the remainder section canbe grasped for raising and lowering the toilet seat without requiringthat the toilet seat be touched; and the U-shaped form is arranged insuch a relation to the attachment portion so then when the device isattached to the underside of the toilet seat and the toilet seat is in alowered condition, the U of the U-shaped form opens downwardly and theouter edge of the remainder section is higher than the underside of thetoilet seat.
 20. The handle device as defined in claim 19 in combinationwith a sheet of release paper for releasably covering the amount ofadhesive until removed for attachment to the underside of a toilet seat.